5 instances when Cristiano Ronaldo humiliated great players

Easily one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has consistently proved himself to be the top dog of the sport for some time now. Joining Manchester United as a 19-year-old lad from Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo quickly established himself into the starting XI and eventually showed the world why he deserved to.A complete player and one of his kind, Ronaldo dazzled the viewers with his amazing set of skills ranging from speed, power, dribbling to his amazing aerial prowess and dead ball specialist. His development from a football prodigy to a world class talent took place in United as he began to get better with each passing season eventually winning the accolade of Best Player in the world in 2008.Following an unforgettable run with the Red Devils, Ronaldo completed his dream move to Spain and fulfilled his wish to wear the colours of Real Madrid where he bagged two more Ballon dOrs and also won La Decima as well as La Undecima for the capital club.A joy to watch when on the ball, Ronaldo has often outsmarted his opponents with his skills and movesWe have listed5 such players who have been outmaneuvered by the Portuguese star.

#5 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Carles Puyol

Ronaldo has the record for scoring in six consecutive El Clasicos

Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Spain just raised the anticipation of him facing off against Barcelona’s defence quite often. And one of Catalonia’s warriors and best centre backs of all time, Carles Puyol was leading the back line for the Blaugranas.

Puyol, who built his reputation as a leader and a fighter for his team was almost an immovable wall for his side and led the back line for Barca under Pep Guardiola. Known for his positioning, marking opponents and also effective in set pieces, the former Spain international was probably the last breed of his defending kind.

And whilst coming up against Ronaldo, Puyol has managed to contain the Portuguese on several instances. However, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner’s wide range of skills made it difficult for a stallion like Puyol to keep him grounded always as he too has been outsmarted by the former Manchester United man.

#4 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Sergio Busquets

Ronaldo and Busquets have faced each other in many El Clasicos

Over the past few years, Sergio Busquets has developed himself into one of the most important figures in Barcelona’s midfield. The 27-year-old, who came up through La Masia’s ranks, is often omitted in discussions of Barca’s golden generation alongside high profile names Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.

But Busquets has been massively significant for the Catalonia outfit, playing the role of an anchorman in Barca’s untouchable midfield trio and has been pivotal for Barca’s successful tiki-taka philosophy.

And the Blaugrana midfielder has had his fair share of battles against Cristiano Ronaldo in the Clasico encounters especially as he is entrusted with defensive duties when Barca don’t have the ball. The Spaniard was notably outsmarted by the Real Madrid winger in their first meeting itself as Ronaldo cleverly nutmegged him and managed to go past him.

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Ashley Cole

The battle between Ronaldo and Ashely Cole down the right flanks was one of the exciting duels in Premier League

In his Manchester United days, Cristiano Ronaldo often came up against Chelsea’s left-back Ashley Cole and it was one of the high-profile battles of the Premier League in those times.

Chelsea can boast to be one of the very few teams that have managed to keep Ronaldo at bay as the Portuguese has only managed to score once in a total of 15 games against the Stamford Bridge outfit. That is certainly an impressive feat considering how lethal the three-time Ballon d’Or winner was with the Red Devils.

And Cole, who played for the Blues’ since joining from Arsenal built a reputation for himself as one of England and world’s best full-backs at the time. It was always interesting to watch a duel between the two with each having their moment of glory. However, Ronaldo, with his skill and pace, always found a way to get past his opponents and Cole also was at the receiving end on few occasions.

The England international, during a friendly game against Portugal, was largely troubled by the Real Madrid man and on one instance, he was all over the ground trying to block his delivery to the 18-yard-area. He also faced the same fate during one of United’s Premier League match against Chelsea.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is football’s biggest rivalry till date

The biggest modern day rivalry in the world of sports belongs to football as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have divided the fans of the sport into two distinctive factions. While Ronaldo had already established himself as a global superstar during the early part of the millennium in United colours, Messi began to make a name for himself since arriving in Barcelona’s senior team.

Slowly and steadily, the rivalry began to take its shape and the first practical when United faced Barca in the 2009 Champions League final. With the stage set for two best players in the world to determine who’s better, it was Messi who outshone the Portuguese on the big stage and delivered Europe’s most elite trophy to his side- a performance that earned him his first Ballon d’Or thus dethroning his adversary as the world’s best player.

However, Ronaldo’s transfer to Real Madrid fuelled their rivalry as it meant that the two would often go head to head in football's biggest battle- El Clasico. And the anticipation surrounding the mercurial duo elevated the excitement levels of this fiery fixture making it the most watched game of the sport.

While both have registered themselves into the record books of Clasico matches, the difference in their playing positions and roles massively deprive the audience of experiencing a face-off between them. But they have had one-on-one situations against each other on few occasions. And one of them includes Ronaldo outwitting the Argentine as he cleverly executed a controlled chipped move to go past his adversary. Ronaldo kept on going in full flow and had to be fouled by the Barca defense in order to halt his run.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique and Ronaldo were once teammates at Manchester United

From former teammates to one of modern day’s best direct rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gerard Pique have come a long way since their Manchester United days. After failing to make a mark at the Old Trafford, Pique returned to his homeland and broke into Barcelona’s starting XI under manager Pep Guardiola who began his process of building a new dynasty at Catalonia.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, transformed himself into a crowd favourite among the United fans in his six seasons at the Theatre of Dreams. But his boyhood dream of being a part of Real Madrid’s Galacticos squad prompted him to move to Spain in 2009 and the Portuguese finally fulfilled his wish to play at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And that move converted former friends into on-pitch rivals as Ronaldo and Pique were caught on the opposite ends of footballing globe’s biggest war El Clasico. Since the past five seasons, the duo have faced off numerous times and the three-time Ballon d’Or winner has got the better of his Spanish adversary on few occasions- notably during the Super Copa De Espana second leg encounter in 2012/13 season at the Bernabeu where Ronaldo’s amazing back flick completely fooled the 28-year-old and went past him to score the second goal of the game.

Who can also forget Ronaldo’s disallowed goal during Portugal’s 4-1 win over Spain in a friendly match back in 2010. The 30-year-old totally outwit Pique in a one-on-one situation as the Catalan centre-back failed while sliding to block Ronaldo's disguised shot, but the winger cleverly cut inside and chipped the ball over Casillas only to be cancelled by Nani’s final touch who was in an offside position